[Coffeemonster]

My 900's arrived yesterday and here's my initial thoughts:
 
Disclaimer: The 900's are my first foray into the high(er)-end audio scene (previous to these I used iphone earbuds and Skullcandy Ink'd earbuds - so the 900's are a HUGE step up) 
 
First thing I did was hook them up to my iphone5 and play BT - Tomahawk (Trance/EMD). I was amazed with the bass and I heard sounds I've never before noticed in the track. However, I finally heard what I already read about these cans: piercing highs.
 
I then switched to Anberlin - A Whisper and a Clamor (Alternative Rock) and was really disappointed. I knew from other reviews  to expect that the mids would be recessed; but wow, I wasn't expecting an almost non-listenable experience. 
 
So, 14 hours of pink-noise burn in later: a world different experience. The highs of BT - Tomahawk were more controlled, bass seemed tighter, and generally sounded wonderful. Moving onto Anberlin - A Whisper and a Clamor, I was really, really surprised at how well it sounded. It was a hundred times better. The mids were present and audible (even over the booming bass) and I was amazed with the clarity of the male voice. Needless to say I was relieved.
 
I know having a proper DAC+AMP will yield an ever better experience and those items are on my black-friday shopping list. But, if my iphone5+900's can sound this good, I can't imagine what a real DAC can do. 
 
Lastly, considering the 80 hour burn in time these need - I can't wait to see what they sound like then!

 

[Oregonian]

My 900's arrived yesterday and here's my initial thoughts:

Disclaimer: The 900's are my first foray into the high(er)-end audio scene (previous to these I used iphone earbuds and Skullcandy Ink'd earbuds - so the 900's are a HUGE step up) 

First thing I did was hook them up to my iphone5 and play BT - Tomahawk (Trance/EMD). I was amazed with the bass and I heard sounds I've never before noticed in the track. However, I finally heard what I already read about these cans: piercing highs.

I then switched to Anberlin - A Whisper and a Clamor (Alternative Rock) and was really disappointed. I knew from other reviews  to expect that the mids would be recessed; but wow, I wasn't expecting an almost non-listenable experience. 

So, 14 hours of pink-noise burn in later: a world different experience. The highs of BT - Tomahawk were more controlled, bass seemed tighter, and generally sounded wonderful. Moving onto Anberlin - A Whisper and a Clamor, I was really, really surprised at how well it sounded. It was a hundred times better. The mids were present and audible (even over the booming bass) and I was amazed with the clarity of the male voice. Needless to say I was relieved.

I know having a proper DAC+AMP will yield an ever better experience and those items are on my black-friday shopping list. But, if my iphone5+900's can sound this good, I can't imagine what a real DAC can do. 

Lastly, considering the 80 hour burn in time these need - I can't wait to see what they sound like then!

Congrats on a good purchase.

Keep burning beyond the 80 hours you mentioned. They get better and better and really respond to amping. I run them out of a vintage amp at times and love the depth of sound.

 

[JIMINITRO]

I was really worried about my 900's at first too as they were brutally shrill on the high end. After using them now for probably hundreds of hours they have just gotten better and better. They sound fantastic now. I never really believed much in burn in time but I really think these got way better after a hefty amount of play time. Either that or they just beat my ears into submission with bass........

 

[Coffeemonster]

  I was really worried about my 900's at first too as they were brutally shrill on the high end. After using them now for probably hundreds of hours they have just gotten better and better. They sound fantastic now. I never really believed much in burn in time but I really think these got way better after a hefty amount of play time. Either that or they just beat my ears into submission with bass........

I'm at about 50 hours of pink-noise burn-in and I can't believe how great they sound. They really sound like a different pair of cans with each passing 12 hours of burn-in.

Regarding the bass, I found it a bit fatiguing while listening to ASOT on Spotify for a few hours yesterday. I ended up using the Equalify addon to drop the bass 2 dB in the 60 and 1 dB in the 170 bands. Having said that, I do like bass so I'll chalk this 'problem' up to not being used to the sound the 900 can produce.  

 

[Euphonik]

  I was really worried about my 900's at first too as they were brutally shrill on the high end. After using them now for probably hundreds of hours they have just gotten better and better. They sound fantastic now. I never really believed much in burn in time but I really think these got way better after a hefty amount of play time. Either that or they just beat my ears into submission with bass........

 
Agreed- mine were pretty shrill out of the box as well. I only spent maybe 15-25 hours of listening for the highs to smooth out but it was definitely worth the wait. Some head-fi'ers sold their pairs because of this but might've liked them better if they'd waited. Glad you like your Pro900s, they're probably one of the best V-shaped bass cans around.

 

[JIMINITRO]

yeah, I have them hooked to my Fiio E17 and it pairs nicely. When buddies hear how much my setup is worth (because lets be honest the Pro 900's are pricey) they think I am crazy. Then I let them listen to dubstep or DnB, EDM and they just kind of go .......oh. These are probably one of your best candidates for a "bassy" Hifi headphone at the price if you can get a reasonable one. 

 

[Dargin]

Just hooked up these babies with the FiiO 17 & 09 combo.  These cans are perfect for hip hop!  "I just wanna party" by Yelawolf hits so hard!  I though my phones were going to bounce off my head.  
 
I can see where people complain about the lack of mid bass here.  I am an electric bass player and most of that range isn't present or gets mudded out.  
 
Can't wait till tomorrow so I can hook up my PS3 with the optical audio!  Since I will be buying a more well rounded can I think I'm going with the Senn HD650's.  Thanks everyone for all the info!  I'm very glad I got these as my first foray into high end headphone gear.

 

[namaiki]

What about if you have the FiiO E17 directly driving the Pro 900s?
Quote:

  Just hooked up these babies with the FiiO 17 & 09 combo.  These cans are perfect for hip hop!  "I just wanna party" by Yelawolf hits so hard!  I though my phones were going to bounce off my head.  
 
I can see where people complain about the lack of mid bass here.  I am an electric bass player and most of that range isn't present or gets mudded out.  
 
Can't wait till tomorrow so I can hook up my PS3 with the optical audio!  Since I will be buying a more well rounded can I think I'm going with the Senn HD650's.  Thanks everyone for all the info!  I'm very glad I got these as my first foray into high end headphone gear.

 

[JIMINITRO]

I have a Fiio E17 directly driving my pro 900's without the E9/E09 amp. I can't weigh in on the difference because I don't have the E09/E9 but I can say that I like the nice warm sound the E17 gives me and it has plenty of power for these particular headphones. The Pro 900's really don't require a lot of power to drive but they do respond pretty well to it. So the E17 will drive the pro 900's great on its own. In fact from what I read it is one of the more popular DAC+ Amp combo units people use with the 900's. It tends to warm the sound slightly which is helpful because the 900's can be pretty bright at times. 
 
Cheers

 

[H22]

Thougt I would post an update, I bought mine a few years ago and honestly was not in love with them, even after a nice long burn in I was just always grabbing a different set of cans ( M-50's).
I did use them occasionally though, when I was in the right mood. The touted low end was just not there for me, and that was my main reason for getting them. It was well textured, but felt flat, didn't have any oomf. Add to that the highs were just tinny, not so bad on some songs but downright annoyingly so on others.

So a few weeks ago I opened them up and added some felt to the metal speaker mount and to the rear cover, this did help tame the highs, and it took away some of the "plasticky" sound of the low end, but still didn't blow me away.
So, what next.....? Enter a good DAC!
I recently finished a y1( soon to be a y2 ) and I have to say its a totally different set of cans, now I understand what all the raving is about. The bass is just immense, massively textured and well controlled. I primarily use my PPAv2 with them, and up till now I had the BB knob all the way up, but now I find it's somewhere between off and 12 o'clock. Great cans!

 

[danL93]

Hey mate, I have the same setup and can mirror what JIMINITRO is saying.  The E17 has more than enough power and is certainly a step up over the headphone out on a laptop or iPod/iPhone.    

 

[TWerk]

  I don't have the 750 here to compare directly but they sounded every bit as good as the 900 to me just with less bass quantity. And I'm talking only less quantity not quality. I found the bass quality even better on the 750. The bass on the 900 is so emphasized that it actually hurts itself. I didn't even think that would be possible before I tried the 900 but sure enough, some of the amazing bass texture I loved with the 750s gets "boomed over" by the 900's bass quantity. I don't want to take anyone's love of the PRO 900 away from them (if you want ridiculous amounts of bass quantity they are still the ones to get) but I personally recommend the PRO 750 over the PRO 900. Its still a bassy 'phone and actually has more perceivable bass texture and bass detail compared to the 900 it just has a little bit less bass quantity so the bass doesn't overtake the other frequencies as much, or sound as boomy, or hurt your ears as much at high volume. Other than that I found the two to be basically identical.

I have to agree. I started with the Pro 900, and later on bought the pro 750. I really love the 750. They are both awesome headphones, with the 900 being more of a bass monster. I think the 750 thus serves as a better all rounder, they are really fantastic for just about any genre. The bass on the 750 is abundant and excellent, but not QUITE as extreme as the pro 900 in terms of quantity and impact.
 
Also, the Pro 2900 is beautiful! That headphone is the winner of clean detailed UltraSone sound. The 2900 is the one you forget that makes you forget that you are wearing headphones, it is that clear.  Less bass quantity on this one than the other two, but great bass, and so so much resolution. If the other two are 720p, this is 1080p.
 
Owning all 3 finally made me stop buying more headphones. I love Ultrasone Pro Headphones, they completely surround you in music, like no other brand. I can cry sometimes with the beauty of listening to them.

 

[TWerk]

Also, I've found without any amp, the pro 750 is the best! 
 
The 900 and 2900 really shine with a nice Dac+Amp. I use a Go-Dap X (LME 49860), and it's fantastic for Ultra-sones! I wouldn't trade it for anything. Bass is unbelievably tight with this thing. HIGHLY suggested if you are looking for an amp for them. You can use it with an ipod AND your computer.

 

[TWerk]

  My 900's arrived yesterday and here's my initial thoughts:
 
Disclaimer: The 900's are my first foray into the high(er)-end audio scene (previous to these I used iphone earbuds and Skullcandy Ink'd earbuds - so the 900's are a HUGE step up) 
 
First thing I did was hook them up to my iphone5 and play BT - Tomahawk (Trance/EMD). I was amazed with the bass and I heard sounds I've never before noticed in the track. However, I finally heard what I already read about these cans: piercing highs.
 
I then switched to Anberlin - A Whisper and a Clamor (Alternative Rock) and was really disappointed. I knew from other reviews  to expect that the mids would be recessed; but wow, I wasn't expecting an almost non-listenable experience. 
 
So, 14 hours of pink-noise burn in later: a world different experience. The highs of BT - Tomahawk were more controlled, bass seemed tighter, and generally sounded wonderful. Moving onto Anberlin - A Whisper and a Clamor, I was really, really surprised at how well it sounded. It was a hundred times better. The mids were present and audible (even over the booming bass) and I was amazed with the clarity of the male voice. Needless to say I was relieved.
 
I know having a proper DAC+AMP will yield an ever better experience and those items are on my black-friday shopping list. But, if my iphone5+900's can sound this good, I can't imagine what a real DAC can do. 
 
Lastly, considering the 80 hour burn in time these need - I can't wait to see what they sound like then!

If you do not want to spend a lot of money, I'd highly recommend the Fiio E11. It works great on high gain, high power with the 900's. I listen portable through my Ipod usually, so I use an L9 LOD cable with it.
 
If you have more money, GO-Dap X is a huge step up! Wonderful sound, worth every penny. You might as well get everything you can out of the can. I thank the lucky stars every day I bought this thing, I can't listen without it anymore!!!

 

[TWerk]

Also, I am running these with the center hole taped shut. I like the sound better this way, Kees also had the center hole plugged. I think you should try it and see if you like the change!